Linda Van Art’s LTE

Filed under:Hampton-Alma-LaCrosse,Wisconsin — posted by admin on March 15, 2012 @ 8:47 am

In the LaCrosse Tribune:

Linda Van Art: Lawmakers should stand up to power lines

There will be public hearings this week in Alma and Centerville regarding the largest civil engineering project after Interstate 90 to be built in western Wisconsin — the CapX2020 power line.

As the Tribune reported, the state’s Public Service Commission engineers remain unconvinced of its need for our area or our state.

A 150-foot-wide right-of-way will destroy about 200 acres of woodland, regardless of the route the monster line takes. The towers will be 15 stories tall and more than 30 feet in circumference. They will be sunk 50 feet into the ground and be strung and maintained by helicopter. Our landscape will be altered forever.

Opposition to CapX2020 is fierce. Thirteen local governments have opposed the project and its sister Badger-Coulee line based on lack of need and the harm it will do to our communities.

Frightened and heart-broken citizens have talked to Sen. Jennifer Shilling, and Reps. Steve Doyle and Jill Billings. They’ve asked them to speak out against this power line, but none of our three area lawmakers have spoken out in opposition to the power line project.

Many people find their silence hard to understand. We would like our representatives to speak out forcefully for our land, our homes and local economies at the public hearings.

In fact, the PSC general counsel encourages lawmaker participation in the process.

Who are these politicians representing — the citizens or the utilities guaranteed to reap profit from this line?

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